Just Another Island Paradise
by TessaSpencer
Summary: A new spin on the old classic: shipwrecked on an island, Niles and CC have to make do with whatever they can manage. And not kill each other in the process


Title: Just Another Island Paradise

Author: mamc031282

Rating: PG 13

Pairing: Niles and CC, of course

Author notes: This story was actually inspired by a story, inspired by a story, inspired by a story… get my drift? The most recent incarnation of this plot was Cheryl and Courtney's story Washed Away, and as such is dedicated to them. Thank you both (and Christie, of course!) for a fabulous trip. I can't think of anyone else I'd like to brave a totally different world with! x

**Just Another Island Paradise**

CC Babcock never claimed to be an 'average' woman. In fact, she strived to be anything but average. Maintaining a strict diet and exercise regiment, CC relied on the structure of her daily routine to maintain normalcy.

Perhaps that's why when CC awoke, face down in white, fine sand, she was not so concerned about her whereabouts as much as she was worried about the whereabouts of her luggage.

It took a moment for her to orient herself, and click back into reality. The roar of water from behind her was certainly no commonplace thing. Manhattan may be an island, but CC was hard pressed to remember the last time she saw the Hudson River.

She remembered being on what could only be described as the vacation from hell, complete with a privately chartered yacht, and about three too many Sheffields – never mind the Butler and Nanny from hell. In fact, she distinctly remembered the annoying domestic in Bermuda shorts.

Cringing, CC wondered if it was all a bad dream, or if she really was trapped in a very-Brady hell.

Maybe the invitation had seemed … inviting, to say the least, but she soon learned that it wasn't meant as a deep-seeded desire as much as a pity invite.

That was only made more obvious as the trip wore on – further out to sea, and farther from any sense of sanity she could hope for.

By the third day of being almost completely neglected by Maxwell, mauled by screaming children racing about the boat, and tortured by the hired help, CC had given up hope for her safe return. Little did she know that by giving up that hope, she might actually throw herself into danger's way.

Nanny Fine had insisted, in her usual, goofy tone, that the family play charades. She even had the nerve to team her up with the boy and the butler – which could be described as nothing less than a losing combination.

After an ass-kicking of epic proportions, and hearing Niles shout out 'SHAMU' every time she took to the front to do her enactments, CC argued with Niles about his inability to portray the appropriate pathos. He did, after all, have adequate personal material to rely on.

How her luggage ended up on the deck, she could not remember, but she could remember the feeling of her body slamming against the water, while her arms clung desperately to the $2000 state-of-the-art suitcase she had ordered just for this farce of a vacation.

There may have been another splash, or it may have been her flailing, but she must have hit her head because the last thing that CC remembered was thinking that she would kill Niles, if only she lived long enough to do it.

Groaning, she rolled over, only to choke on sand in her mouth. Sputtering, she tried to force it past her lips, making a very unlady-like noise as she did.

"And leave it to Babcock to start off with something she knows well," Niles called at her, secretly relieved for signs of life.

When he first woke up, he had checked on her to make sure she was all right. Assured she was still breathing, and otherwise unwounded, Niles kept his distance, knowing full well that when she woke up, there would be hell to pay. "Wait 'til you discover where else you have sand."

For a moment, CC was secretly overjoyed at the realization she wasn't alone. That is, she was overjoyed until she realized she was not alone, but she was stuck with Bermuda Butler.

Was this officially hell? Could she have survived was almost surely 'certain' death only to wind up on an island with her archenemy?

"Please tell me this is a hallucination and I'll wake up in a minute and I'll be dead?" CC pleaded.

"Oh, please. We wouldn't be so lucky – we end up afloat on an ocean only to be stranded on a deserted island…"

Sitting up, CC scowled. "How are you so sure it's deserted?" She dusted herself off and said a silent thank you to whatever deity had convinced her to wear navy instead of white. The last thing she needed was a transparent blouse.

"I swung by tourist information and picked up a brochure," Niles replied snidely. "While you were sleeping, I went for a walk. Unfortunately, we're not washed up on an island with inhabitants, if you'd rather think of it that way. You could probably walk this entire island in … an hour. Maybe two." He wasn't sure what was worse: his present company or the idea of being stranded here indefinitely.

"Are you sure you weren't walking in circles?" CC asked, condescendingly.

Niles shook his head. "It's good to see that our accident hasn't caused any permanent damage to what few brain cells you had, Miss Babcock. Id hate for you to be at all grateful for me saving your life."

"Yeah, right. **You** saved **my** life. And on our way to this island you grew a soul, palm-peasant! Now, tell me. How bad is it?" The lines of her face became very serious as her eyes narrowed in their glare at him.

"Well," Niles said slowly, "we have no way of contacting anyone, we fell overboard in the middle of the night, so nobody knows where we are, and the only supplies we have, if you can even call it that, is whatever you have in your suitcase."

CC was overjoyed at this development. "Where is it?" He face was alight like that of a child on Christmas morning. Anything, even Niles, was tolerable as long as she had her luggage.

"What kind of sadist makes water-proof, buoyant luggage?" He asked, a scowl on his face. The fact that it washed ashore in tact and looking as if it just came off the assembly line had been almost as disturbing as to see what was attached to it – a very waterlogged CC Babcock.

CC merely grinned. "You can't say it hasn't come in handy – I have all my things. Thank God!"

Niles shook his head. Leave it to Babcock to be indifferent to being alive, but overjoyed at having her luggage. "It's under that tree, at the wood line," he replied. "I still don't know how it floated as it did, and under your weight as well."

With a wicked grin, CC stood and brushed off her clothes. "I buy only the best, Niles. This is the Lamborghini of luggage. It's waterproof, light weight, and buoyant up to 50 pounds."

Running her fingers across the champagne-colored brushed titanium, she contemplated her change of wardrobe. Not that she would be dressing for his benefit, of course, but she had packed a number of items which would be entertaining to sport in front of him.

"You don't know what we might be able to use to make things easier around here," she replied with a wicked grin on her face. Sometimes she really loved being a woman – and when she could be relatively free of inhibitions, she intended to enjoy every minute of it.

"You're right," he exclaimed, frustrated both with her and the situation. "I could use your panty hose to hang myself."

"Don't let me stop you," she replied, sliding the combination pins into place and opening the case to reveal what Niles swore must have been the most organized bag he ever saw. Pulling a pair of nylons out, she extended her hand to him. "I know taupe isn't really your color, but I suppose it would suit the purpose."

He couldn't help it, no matter how hard he tried. Niles felt a smile break past his lips; he loved sparring with this woman. "Oh, but can you afford to give those away? Didn't the doctor say that it would stop those nasty veins on your legs from spreading?"

CC merely scowled at him and returned the stockings to the bag. He always had to have the last word, didn't he? This was their way, and even if other people didn't understand it, it was what worked for them. Still, would a little kindness from time to time kill him?

"You know, if we have to stay here waiting to be rescued, we may have a few problems," Niles said, gravely.

"Firstly, we won't be here long. I'm CC Babcock. They'll spare no expense to find me." When she stopped speaking, she looked quite proud of herself.

"And secondly?" He just couldn't wait to hear this.

"Secondly," she said, rising to her full height, "any problems we encounter are yours. As the domestic on this island, AND the person who got us into this mess, you're responsible for fixing it." It wasn't quite how she intended to say it, but for all intents and purposes it would suffice. Mostly she wanted to rid herself of the sand, which was all too well known to her now.

"Oh, really?" Niles glowered at her. "Well... I'm not your butler and I don't see how this is my fault!" The moment the words snuck past his lips he knew he was doomed.

"Oh? Might I remind you who pushed who overboard?" CC was ready for a fight. As far as she was concerned, Niles practically pushed her towards certain death.

Niles fought the urge to say something spiteful. After all, he had been the person to show up on deck, suitcase in hand, and demand that she return to her natural habitat and join the other whales on their migration.

What he hadn't anticipated was that he would lose his balance and end up sending her careening overboard, clutching her designer luggage. "Neither one of us is perfectly innocent," he admitted, "but I never meant you any real harm."

"Sure you didn't," she replied sarcastically.

"I didn't," he said, again, and this time with the pathos she had been trying to get from him the night before during their ill-fated game. "We're here for however long, and I just don't want this to be a constant up-hill battle. We have enough challenges to face – let us not be another." Reaching his hand toward her, in a gesture of good will, he slowly thought of what to say next. "I am genuinely sorry for anything I've done to you, including pushing you into the ocean."

CC wasn't quite sure how to respond to his newfound kindness. Clearly he meant at least a part of what he was saying or else he wouldn't have looked so wounded.

"Ok," she said. It wasn't a statement or a peace offering, but it was a response and he was the one at fault. Then again, if he really intended for her to die, he probably wouldn't have dove in after her, risking his own life in the process.

"Ok," he agreed, hoping they had forged some sort of silent peace pact. "However long we're trapped here, we need to figure out a way to survive. I was never a boy scout. Were you?" he asked, with an impish grin on his face.

CC merely scowled and returned his teasing tone. "I would have thought you'd be a much better girl guide. I, on the other hand, have no training when it comes to hunting and foraging. Mind you, if I can survive show business, one little island can't be so bad, can it?"

Niles laughed. He had to hand it to her. Babcock really knew how to keep her wits about her. If it had been Fran on that island, she probably would have broken down the minute she realized there was no Ming's Chinese Delivery.

"I'm going to look around the island – there has to be a fresh water source somewhere," he said, silently praying he was right.

"I'm going to get changed," CC said matter-of-factly. "I feel remarkably overdressed," she admitted, pondering her wardrobe change. The idea of shaking up the butler seemed like a good one, at least for a fleeting moment, but there was also the question of what would happen if he didn't like what he saw.

Swallowing back a rush of self-consciousness, CC shook her head and instead opted for the more casual, covered look. Soon they'd be rescued and life would be normal again, and in the meantime, there was no reason to invite the torrent of insults she knew only Niles could throw at her.

**

Niles was discouraged when he wandered the island, only to find no fresh water source. As far as he was concerned, any other trouble would be easily navigated, but a lack of water would mean almost certain death.

And those were the more optimistic thoughts he had while he was wandering the island. There had been very little wildlife, and that which was there was mostly of the annoying insect variety.

Thankfully, if nothing else, he stumbled upon some berries. There would at least be something edible, and they wouldn't starve to death.

Walking back along the beach to where he began, he was surprised to see CC sitting against a tree, her legs crossed, and a file folder resting on them. Her hands were slathering white lotion on her skin and her hair was tucked up into a barrette at the back of her head.

It seemed like the kind of thing that happened in those novels that Nanny Fine always read – and that he would sometimes flip through at night, when he couldn't sleep.

It was bad enough they were stranded on a desert island, but that he was trapped there with the woman who provided him more joy and frustration than any other was just unfathomably cruel. It was made worse only by the way she looked as she flipped through the file a moment later. It was unnatural, to see CC Babcock looking so innocent, or so incredibly beautiful.

CC had changed while he was gone into a white tennis skirt, and a pair of white sandals. The royal blue bikini top she was wearing was unlike anything he had ever seen on her, and for a moment, Niles thought about sneaking up behind her and surprising her with a kiss.

Was the situation already going to his head? Not that he hadn't thought about her in 'that' way before, but was it really necessary to be faced with those thoughts, on top of facing the uncertainty of the island?

"You're working?" he asked, trying not to think about how her skin was glistening from the sunscreen that was still absorbing. "You realize that if we die here, it won't matter what revisions you make to those, right?"

CC tore her attention away from the contract only long enough to give Niles the most disdainful glare she could manage. Turning her attention back to her papers, CC sighed. Clearly he had no concept of reality.

"Maybe if it was just you, they'd leave you to die, but I'm here too, and there's no way that they'll leave me here. It's only a matter of hours until someone shows up and then **I'm** on the first plane back to Manhattan. This vacation thing is over-rated," she said sternly.

Niles fought back the urge to laugh. Of course CC thought that everything would work out – she was from a family of old money, where the almighty dollar bought their way out of predicaments of all varieties.

Niles, on the other hand, had never had such stellar luck. Even with a full scholarship to Eton and a brilliant mind, he couldn't escape the entrapments of his family's legacy. Being a butler was most of what he was destined to be. He thought that being alone was the other part of his fate, but so far fate was seeing fit to torture him with CC's company.

"There's only two ways this can go: we're rescued and we get to go back home, at which point you return to your penthouse and I return to my enslavement, or, and this I think is much more likely, we slowly degrade into a state of delirium and die from exposure, dehydration, and probably starvation…"

So maybe it wasn't the most optimistic outlook, but for the moment he felt anything but lucky, and the idea of dying on an island, with CC Babcock, no less, was just too much for him to handle.

"Jeez, aren't you melodramatic?" she asked, looking up at him. There was a degree of concern in her eyes that she had never seen directed at him before. Maybe it was that she needed someone to take care of her, or maybe it was that she was genuinely concerned, but the fact that she looked at him that way at all made Niles feel a little more grounded.

"I'm hungry," he whined, this time taking a seat beside her on the ground. He was pleased when she closed the file folder she was reading and gave him her full attention. "I didn't have time to make breakfast while I was trying to get you, your luggage, and myself back to safety…"

"Aw, poor Broom Hilda," she said sarcastically. "It's not like skipping a meal or two would hurt either of us." Without another word, she reached down beside her, and a moment later she handed Niles a snack bar. "I had one in my luggage," she said, by way of a half-assed offer.

Niles stared at the food as if it had fallen directly from heaven. "I won't ask why you had this in the first place – I'll just appreciate it for what it is."

"Something to stick in your mouth to shut you up?" CC replied quickly, a wicked grin on her face.

"If you wanted to shut me up," Niles relied coyly, "I can think of much better things to stick in my mouth…"

CC felt a flush creep over her chest, as she thought about the implications. Niles had already moved on to eating the bar, but here she was, pondering what he meant.

Did it mean that he was thinking about her in the same way that she, under very limited circumstances, thought about him? Or, was the sun and the situation already getting to him? Instead of thinking about it much more, she raised a clear bottle to her lips, and took a long swig.

"You have water? And you didn't tell me?" He mumbled around a mouthful of granola and berries. He looked exhausted and totally exasperated.

Smiling, she took another gulp. "Vodka. I never travel without it." Without another thought, she chugged back a long swig. "You never know how long I'll be stuck listening to that annoying Nanny drone on and on. At least this gives me a reprieve from her shrill voice."

Reaching down, he tried to pry the bottle from her hand but CC would not let go. "Give it to me, woman!"

"No! You will **not** take away my vodka. It's bad enough I'm stuck here with you to keep me only mildly entertained. If you want some, you're going to have to drag your ass to a liquor store and buy some of your own!"

"You'll make yourself even more dehydrated. Do you actually want to risk dying even sooner than we probably already will?"

Something about the grave tone of his voice made her think twice. It's not as if they were guaranteed rescue immediately. And if she thought about it, there probably was quite a serious possibility that rescue could take a few days. After all, there were probably hundreds of islands they passed on their six-day excursion, and with their luck, the currant could have carried them anywhere.

"Fine. I'll save it for when we're rescued. It'll be my celebratory drink," she said calmly, putting it down. "Besides, I don't feel like listen to you nag me. You're almost as bad as that awful Nanny."

"Only almost?" Niles asked sweetly, oddly surprised that she hadn't said he was worse. Considering their relationship, he would have thought that the animosity she felt for him outshone that which she felt for Fran.

"You haven't yet mastered that high-pitch squeal of hers," she said quickly, almost regretting letting her guard down for that moment. "Now, what did you find on your travels?"

Niles shrugged. "Nothing. We're definitely alone here, and from what I can tell, I don't think anyone's been here in a long time, if ever."

"You're optimistic, aren't you?"

"Well, I haven't figured out where we're going to sleep, what we're going to drink, what we're going to eat… I'm not sure there are enough answers to all the questions racing through my mind right now."

CC stared pensively out at the ocean. It was probably the single most beautiful horizon she had ever seen, but she wasn't so naïve as to think that this was going to be easy – the sun was rising higher in the sky and the temperature was somewhere between hot and hotter-than-hell. "I suppose we should probably figure out the lunch thing, and then worry about where we're going to sleep."

Niles nodded. "All I've seen are coconuts, leaves, more coconuts, a few berries, more leaves…and tons of water we can't drink."

"Well, there must be some fruit, somewhere, right?"

Niles shook his head. "Where ever it is, I've not found it."

"Well, then I guess for now we have coconut. And we deal with the rest of it as it comes," CC said, for once being somewhat optimistic. Clearly he was concerned about their situation, and if one of them wasn't the voice of the reason, then they might as well both go crazy.

"I hate coconut," Niles complained. "It's the one thing that I just can't stand…"

CC laughed. "You're going to have to get used to it."

Staring at the coconut in his hand, Niles groaned. He'd have to think of alternative food arrangements soon, or else island life would prove to be the best diet he would ever embark on. "We need fire," he said, delaying the inevitable.

Pulling a lighter from her pocket, CC smiled. "I thought that might be the next step."

The overwhelming urge to kiss her was just too great – no matter how much he resented the suitcase, at least he had to admit that it was coming in handy. "Do you want to work on getting the coconuts open, or do you want to go gather wood and leaves to get the fire going?"

"I'll work on the coconuts," she said easily, watching as his shoulders slumped forward. "I don't want to get dirty."

Growling, Niles watched for a moment as she prepared her work area. Clearly, CC wasn't going into this blindly – she had already considered what would need to be done.

He couldn't decide if that was more infuriating or attractive.

**

Niles didn't know how he ever fell asleep the night before. Between the cold which kept him shivering, and the sand that was finding its way into the most inconvenient of places, he had been feeling quite miserable as he gazed up at the stars. Sand had worked its way to the most unmentionable places, making him not only incredibly frustrated, but also incredibly sore.

Even the fire the night before hadn't been enough to keep his body warm. If it weren't for CC's suitcase, and the multitude of supplies they seemed to be finding within, they wouldn't have even had that. Now, Niles only wished she had packed an air mattress and a few sets of sheets.

The inability to toss or turn (and the near proximity of soundly-sleeping Babcock) just drove him even more mad.

As he opened his eyes, and tried to stretch, the friction of the sand against his skin only infuriated him more. This was going to be an insufferable day, if the start was of any indication.

Sitting up, he dusted off as much of the sand as he could, and stretched, trying not to shift in the sand any more than necessary.

"I knew you were lazy, but sleeping in so late?" CC called from behind a book.

Niles squinted at her, and for a moment thought he was daydreaming. There she was, CC Babcock, looking perfectly made up, in fresh clothing and full make up. And he felt like a sock that was stuck around the washer-agitator.

"You're kidding me, right?" Standing up, he tried to shake out the remaining sand and to stretch out the residual aches. It wasn't bad enough that they were going to be trapped here together, but even fate would only further serve a constant reminder that they were of different classes. This time, the reminder just took form of a stupid suitcase, which miraculously washed ashore with them.

"I've been up for hours. I've gone for a swim, walked the beach, gotten dressed, and even reviewed the last set of contracts in my bag. I'm hungry - what's for breakfast?" she asked with a grin.

He hated to admit that this 'stranded on an island' thing seemed to be doing wonderful things for CC. She looked absolutely radiant, and well rested. How she could have slept on the beach, he had no clue, but he had spent his evening trying not to look over to her part of the beach (the part where she drew the line in the sand, and told him not to pass after sunset).

"Breakfast? This isn't exactly the Hilton - there's no room service. In all of your wandering, did you see anything edible?"

CC shook her head, trying to keep a straight face. "There were berries - but I wasn't sure if they'd be poisonous..."

"Did you eat some?"

"I just said I thought they might be poisonous! Do you ever listen?" Now she was debating if she wanted to share her find with him. Maybe he didn't deserve to know about her discovery.

"I was hopeful, give me a break," Niles said quickly. "I don't know if they're poisonous or not, but I'm willing to try and find out."

CC knew where this was going. "If you want to try them and find you, you can be the guinea pig. I'm not doing that. Besides, I did find one thing that I'm sure isn't poisonous."

"What?" Niles couldn't contain his excitement at the prospect. If she was playing with him, he might have to kill her.

"I don't know – you're not being very nice to me right now," CC said with a frown. It was fun to have one up on Niles, even if she knew that she'd soon have to break down and tell him.

Shaking his head, he debated arguing with her, but instead, he was more interested in whatever she found. "I'm sorry," he said, waiting for her to accept.

"Ok. Better. Stay here." Walking back to the tree line, she picked up the four mangos she had found along her walk. "I know this isn't exactly the discovery of fire, but a little variety to our diet might deserve a little applause," CC said, showing him the mangos.

Niles had never felt more excited to see fruit in his entire life. "You're kidding me? How'd we miss that before?"

"I don't know; I assume you looked just about as hard as you tend to work. In other words, you probably thought about it, and promptly decided to save yourself the effort. I, on the other hand, cannot handle another day of our coconut and granola bar diet. Not to mention I'm on my last few granola bars."

Groaning, he decided not to look a gift-Babcock in the mouth, for fear of her rescinding the offer. "Mangos for breakfast then?" he asked, watching as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"And for lunch?"

"I'll go looking," he promised.

Smiling, she placed the mangos on the ground in front of him. "While you're getting those ready, I'm going to put on some more sunscreen," she informed him.

Shaking his head, he couldn't believe they were trapped like this, and that he had to suffer without any of the luxuries he had come to love.

"I don't know what you expect me to do with these – its' not like I have chocolate sauce at my disposal."

CC just shook her head as she squeezed some sunscreen onto her arm. "You've never disappointed me before," she said quickly, and then realized the implication. "When it comes to food, that is."

Niles merely smiled at her slip, and set about peeling the mangoes.

**

The midday heat was killing him. Whoever said heat in the tropics was different than heat in Manhattan had clearly not spent days exposed to the elements.

Sweat was running down his brow as he shifted a stack of branches closer to their destination, the sooner this monstrosity was built, the sooner he could sit back and fantasize about drinking a glass of wine and eating truffles. Niles desperately needed that escape.

Of course, CC sitting on a rock and supervising wasn't helping his disposition. Every couple of minutes she would heave a breathy sigh and look at him sternly, as if to encourage him to go faster. From time to time he debated beating her with the very sticks he was moving.

"Would you stop staring at me," he asked, arranging the sticks as best as he could and using ivy to try and tie them.

"What makes you think I'm staring at you?"

Niles groaned. "Because you are – I can feel your eyes practically burning holes in my skin – and it's irritating. You can pick up some pieces if you have nothing better to do."

"I am **not** helping you with that – besides, I'm trying to establish if that thing is structurally sound. It certainly looks like it's going to topple over."

Shaking his head, he continued his efforts. "Just stop staring at me. It's disconcerting. I feel like a chicken leg at a Fine Family reunion."

CC laughed. "You hardly look that appetizing."

Wounded, Niles tried not to look too hurt. He was more or less accustomed to her slights, but right now he was feeling more than a little vulnerable. Besides, while he was doing all the work, the least she could do was treat him with a little respect.

"You look like hell," CC said, finally unable to refrain. She had been watching him as he worked on the shelter, and couldn't help but think that although his body was looking… not entirely unappetizing… he desperately needed a shower. The amount of facial hair he was sporting was remarkable for the short time they were on the island.

"Really? That's a surprise. I've been moving branches around, trying to make some semblance of a shelter, I'm trying to figure out ways of keeping fresh water available to drink, and, incase you've forgotten, unlike you, I didn't fall overboard with my luggage. Besides, a little five o'clock shadow is attractive, isn't it? Don't women love the rugged look?" Running his hand over his chin, Niles realized that it wasn't just a little five o'clock shadow. A few more days of this and he was going to look like a wild man.

"The only way stubble is attractive is if it's in a picture – it doesn't work in real life. If I wanted to get beard burn, I'd …" Of course, this also implied that she was worried about **his** beard burning **her**… that was an image that overtook her quickly and without any warning.

"Grow your own beard?"

CC groaned. "I should have known that was coming. The point is, you look like a gorilla, and I have to look at you. Go, shave."

Shaking his head, Niles just looked up to the sky and wondered what he did to get himself into this position.

Whatever he thought he'd accomplish by the little scuffle on deck that night, he clearly wasn't a well man. Something told him that a little foresight might have seen this hurdling towards them at a million miles an hour. "I don't have my luggage," he reminded her, clenching his fists in frustration.

"I have shaving cream and a razor, and as loathe as I am to loan you anything, I'd rather not see you like this." She obviously had thought it out, because when she opened the suitcase, the shaving cream was on top, as was the razor.

As he took them from her, he sighed. "Peach scented?"

"Look, I don't use the stuff most the time, but I keep it for emergencies…" she explained.

"Emergencies?"

"Like the ugly beard you're growing. Get rid of it, and then we'll continue this conversation. Besides, a little fragrance can't hurt – it's not exactly like you smell great."

Niles was wounded – he was doing the best he could to maintain his appearance and although it wasn't the easiest thing to accomplish, he hardly thought he looked **that** bad. "Unlike you, I didn't wash up with a suitcase. I don't know if you've noticed, but I traveled lighter than you."

CC groaned. "We won't get into this argument again. Take my compact and the shaving cream, and get to it, would you?"

Looking at the compact, Niles dreaded where this was going. "I'm liable to kill myself with that, not to mention the fact that your mirror is all of two inches big."

"And it's always men who say size doesn't matter," she said with a laugh, momentarily letting her eyes wander southward before she caught herself. She couldn't help it, CC told herself. She was just a woman, and this island hell they were inhabiting was a little too Adam and Eve for her liking – at least, at moments like this it was.

"The size of your mirror DOES matter when we're talking about a razor and my throat! I'm not entirely convinced this isn't an attempt at murder on your part," he growled.

Sizing up the situation, CC decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. "I'll do it – and then you won't complain about the size of my mirror!"

Niles looked at her, horrified. "You'll do it? Now I know it's attempted murder!"

"You've got to be kidding, right? Do you not think that after all these years, if I really wanted to kill you, I'd wait until we were stuck on an island, with no way off, and until you looked like Grizzly Adams for my perfect chance?"

Maybe he was being unreasonable, but he did feel very vulnerable being that close to CC, and without any way of really defending himself. Cringing at the thought, he knew she was right; he wasn't thinking clearly. "If it bothers you that much, you do it, but one attempt on my life and I'll never trust you again," he said sternly.

"One attempt is all I need," she promised. "Now, let's go down by the water, otherwise this will get messy."

For a fleeting moment he thought it might also make it easier for her to dump his body. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this," he mumbled, watching as she smiled, and made her way toward the water.

"Neither can I," she agreed. That was enough to put him on edge, and she could see him tense as he caught up with her.

"You're supposed to be making me feel more confident in my bad decision – I don't have time to write out a will. Or at least, I don't have the supplies."

CC merely smiled. "I do – we could head back up to my suitcase and write that out. The real toughie will be who gets to keep your feather duster."

He walked right into that. "Please, let's just get this over with."

Taking a seat on the rock beside the water, she rinsed her hands quickly. "Wet your face," she demanded.

He did as she demanded, and then sat beside her.

"Well, that's not going to work," she said, looking at him sitting directly beside her. "Do you think I'm that flexible?"

Niles didn't want to admit just how much thought he'd given to her, and her flexibility. "Where would you rather I sit?"

CC groaned, and then stood up, rolling her pant legs up around her knees. "I suppose we can make this work. Squirting a dollop of shaving cream on her hand, she used her other hand to spread the cream over his face. "This is going to take a couple of attempts," she said grimly. "I hope you're not a bleeder."

Narrowing his eyes, he debated running, except that her knees were against his, and he felt trapped. Not physically, of course. He could get around her easily enough, if his limbs were working. They weren't.

When her hands moved to tilt his head, he realized that his eyes were perfectly aligned with her breasts, and he was officially, completely paralyzed.

"You realize, I've never done this for someone so I'm going to have to figure it out as we go."

"Go against the grain," he mumbled, hoping she'd not notice his gaze being directed quite so fiercely at her chest.

"I figured that part out already." Rinsing the blade in the water, she carefully massaged the shaving cream into the beard, hoping to get full coverage.

CC could have sworn she heard him wince.

Closing his eyes, he hoped that he wouldn't have something else to explain to her – though with the way that she was massaging the shaving cream into his skin, there was no guarantee. "I can't believe I'm letting you do this," he said, waiting for the contact from the razor.

"I can't believe it either, but shut up and I'll get it over with."

That was all the warming he needed. Closing his mouth, he waited for that first contact from the razor blade.

Niles took consolation that he couldn't see what she was doing, as she tilted his head even further back, but he could feel her body pressing against his, and suddenly he was totally lost in a pool of emotions. Not the least of his concern was that she would soon be made aware of just how much he was enjoying her attention.

Crossing his hands on his lap, Niles tried not to move. He could feel her taking slow and steady movements over his skin, and he was thankful for the more tender side of the usually abrupt blonde.

"I'm not used to you being this quiet – I think I like it," CC teased, shifting direction and bending down to rinse the razor in the water. She could have sworn that he was trying to hide a little discomfort – or, rather, a not so little discomfort. Smiling, she debated how terrible she should be to him.

Surely, his arousal was courtesy of the touching, and the lack of other contact on the island. In fact, if she had to bet, he was probably fending off some of the same concerns as she – being together in such tight quarters didn't leave much room for intimacy. Shared, or otherwise.

Smiling, she couldn't resist it, as she moved closer to him, and then straddled his one leg between her two. "I can't quite get this part. Sit still," she said, carefully resting her weight on his leg.

Niles fought the urge to wrap his arms around her waist. Further thought only told him that grabbing her while she was wielding a razor was a bad idea.

Shifting closer to him, and pressing her body against his, CC smiled. She couldn't decide if it was best to continue torturing him (and in the course of it, torturing herself a good deal as well) or if she should just continue with the task at hand. Both, at this point, seemed fairly critical.

Catching her breath, CC hoped she could finish what she started. Niles looked undeniably adorable, even if he did seem somewhat pained.

Moving slightly forward, CC tried to steady herself on his knee, and as she strived to catch her balance, she was pleasantly surprised to find his hands reaching around and grabbing her to hold her in place.

"Thanks," she managed, ready to continue her task.

"I don't want you killing me with that thing," he said, trying to move as little as possible, though making no motions towards moving his hands from her ass.

"Hmm, don't say that like I've not considered it."

Taking a few more swipes over his skin, CC was pleased to see the progress she was making.

If she had been completely honest with him, she might have told him that the beard had been at least a **little** bit sexy. It was appealing, to see him very improper and…not British. Still, she wanted her old Niles back – the man who tortured her mercilessly, and who felt no need to be polite or proper with her.

This game they were playing seemed to have them both overheating long before they got to the island. There had been more than one time when their inability to push each other aside resulted in this game of touch and run.

It was almost like a bad game of very unsatisfying tag.

Of course, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it made any sense to think of Niles in those terms. Maybe even what felt like a million miles between them and Manhattan didn't change the reality that they were supposed to be on totally different levels? Just because they were on the island together, it didn't change who they were, right?

CC was still CC Babcock, and he was still very much Niles… Niles. And after all these years of cat and mouse, there was still something between them – there was something stopping them from going any further forward or backwards.

CC snickered at the thought that her life was on pause. It was on pause no matter what, though. There was no moving forward anymore. Somewhere along the line, she had fallen into a rut, and as strange as it might seem, being stuck on an island was probably the most exciting thing that had happened to her in decades.

"I need to rinse this again," she said, already regretting having to move. As his hands shifted back to his lap, she slid down his body and cleaned the razor in the water. "There's not much left. In a minute I'm going to get you to rinse your face, and we'll double check that I didn't miss anything."

Niles merely nodded as she prepared to take the final few strokes. Somehow, CC had managed to turn a thoroughly dreaded experience into something much more interesting.

"Ok, I'm done. Rinse." Stepping back, CC waited as he moved forward. She tried not to laugh as she noticed his very evident discomfort. Maybe it was slightly evil to play that game with him; she was already feeling more than a little disappointment at the end of their game.

Kneeling down, Niles splashed water on his face, and was pleased that his skin felt smooth again. "Feels pretty good," he said. "Aside from smelling like peaches."

CC laughed. "Well, it looks pretty good," she said, running her fingers over his cheek. The intimacy of the gesture didn't hit her until she looked into his eyes and realized what she had just done. "There's the ugly mug I've been so used to looking at."

Smiling, Niles tried not to make a comment that might break the spell. "Thank you for not killing me – I know it must have been a struggle."

"I'm doing my part to beautify our island," she assured him. "And now you can do your part, and finish our shelter."

There were worse things he could think of than working on a shelter. It was almost finished, and at least it would be a distraction from the way she smelled while she was helping him shave.

Only CC Babcock could wash up on a beach and still smell like Chanel and fresh flowers.

***

When the clouds began to fill the sky, Niles had a feeling that the weather was about to take a turn for the worst. A few minutes later, when the air was so thick that Niles was sure there would be a downpour, CC laughed it off, and made a joke about how he wasn't about to melt in a little rain.

Little did CC know that they were about to experience a torrential downpour.

Seeking refuge in the shelter that Niles had only had marginal success making, CC and Niles huddled together. There was narrowly space to move without propelling a part of their body into the rain.

Watching the rain for what felt like hours, CC finally seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Initially, a little rain seemed to be just what they needed. Island life was, so far at least, dry and hot. A few minutes of precipitation seemed luxurious.

When the ground around them grew soft and the canopy that was supposed to be covering them sloped further inward, propping against their bodies, the relentless rain quickly overstayed its welcome.

Curling into his body, CC didn't know if there was anyway of ever escaping the storm, and every inch of her body felt soaked. Her luggage was somewhere, but she didn't know where anymore, because the sky grew so dark from the clouds and the world around them seemed to only be sheets of water. When the sky opened up above them, Niles had grabbed her hand and practically dragged her back to their 'shelter'. There hadn't been time to grab anything.

What felt like ages later, the rain began to slow, and Niles took comfort in knowing that it had to end.

"It's almost over," Niles assured CC, holding her tightly against him. "And as soon as this is over, we'll build a better shelter, and we'll be fine," he promised.

There was a moment when CC debated throwing a sharp remark at him, but the comfort of his arms was really what she needed from him. "I want my luggage back," she whined. "I get it here safely with me, and now God only knows where it is."

"Our lives are more important than your damn luggage," he growled.

"I know," she admitted. "But more than anything I just want to be back at home, and since I can't have that, at least I can have my things," she justified.

Niles knew what she meant; it wasn't easy for him to be somewhere out in the middle of the ocean and so far from home. In fact, if CC weren't with him, he probably wouldn't be able to survive this experience. "We'll get your luggage back as soon as we can," he promised.

Tightening his grip around her, Niles watched as the raindrops seemed to hit the ground in slow motion. It wouldn't be long until the rain breaks, and then when it did, they'd have to rebuild what little bit of progress they had made.

*

When the rain finally stopped, Niles looked around the trees nearest their campsite, and realized that everything looked fresh, but otherwise unchanged.

How was that possible? How was it possible that the world could be drowning one minute, would be fine the next?

"I don't suppose you see my suitcase, do you?" CC asked, standing behind Niles. Her clothing was drenched, and the only thing she could think of was that there were clean clothes somewhere nearby, and she wanted to wear them.

"It's not my first priority," Niles replied, hoping to find the stash of food they had lined along the beach.

"Well, it should be," she said, watching as he made his way through the heavy sand that clung to the bottom of his pants. "If I don't have a change of clothes soon, I might start to smell like you." The tone of her voice relayed that she wasn't about to discuss this. In no uncertain terms, she wanted her luggage back.

"I'll consider that while I look for food, so that we might be able to eat again sometime soon. And I'll also consider your none-too-gentle tone when you need me to rebuild a shelter!"

"And such a stellar shelter it was, too, seeing as it fell on top of us!" Hands on her hips, she was not about to back down from this argument. She could deal with anything as long as she had her luggage; every other luxury, such as food and water, could wait.

"I had nothing to work with," he moaned, making his way back into the trees, and searching out where his food supply could have rolled in the storm.

"I see my suitcase," CC called, with what could only be described as a whoop of joy. "Go get it," she said, pushing Niles towards the expensive carrier.

What she hadn't anticipated was that he'd lose his footing in the mud. The erosion of the soil beneath his feet, and the small hill that they seemed to be standing on was all that was required to send him sailing down the slope, and towards the suitcase. The entire time, he was head first, and dragging his body behind him in a muddy mess.

"Christ Babcock," he moaned as he came to a stop in a heap. "Are you trying to kill me?"

CC snickered, the sight of him covered in thick brown mud trying to sit up right just too funny to maintain her composure. "I'm sorry – seems like we both have an issue with this whole boundary thing. You push me overboard of a ship – accidentally, of course," she said, a distinctly sarcastic tone in her voice, "and I accidentally push you into a pile of mud."

Standing, though narrowly able to maintain his balance on the slippery semi-liquid, Niles realized that this might be a case of turnabout as fair play. "So we're even?" he asked.

"I suppose this is worthwhile retribution, given our limited resources," she replied. "But can you bring my suitcase up?"

Groaning, Niles grabbed the suitcase, which was conveniently within arm's reach. "I swear you did this on purpose," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing," Niles said, attempting to keep his balance as he tried to make his way back toward CC.

"Don't get it too dirty," CC requested, earning a groan from Niles. "I'm just saying, there isn't exactly a dry cleaner here."

Bringing the case back up toward her, Niles felt his clothes being weighed down by the mud. "This day is just getting better and better," he complained, watching as she thrust the case to the ground and dug through it until she found a hair tie and her towel.

As CC dried her hair, she looked up at him and considered how pathetic he looked. "You really look disgusting."

"I may have just done a nose-dive into the mud, if you've not noticed," he pointed out. "And unlike you, I don't come with my own personal collection of haute couture and designer garbs."

Shaking her head, CC was convinced he was still bitter about the trip down the side of the hill. "Next time you push me overboard, have the foresight to bring your own luggage then."

"I'll remember that." Mud filled every crevice of his body, and suddenly he realized that the entire situation was about to get even more messy and uncomfortable. Tugging at the material that was now practically smothering him, Niles debated the merits of walking into the ocean and either drowning, or coming out clean.

"Your clothes are disgusting. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but take them off!"

Niles looked at himself, covered in mud, and realized that she was probably right. The idea of walking into the sea, no matter how symbolic, was probably not the most practical. And, although he'd never admit it, he would never leave CC alone here.

His clothes were damp, and although they were starting to dry out, the few pieces that had dried became rock solid.

Of course there was one little problem.

If he took of his pants, she'd see him in his skivvies. And although he didn't necessarily mind the idea of that, he was much more concerned about the appropriateness of aforementioned undergarments.

Niles had a penchant for briefs, and ever since Miss Fine found out, she had bestowed up on him a collection of rather impressively colored briefs.

There was no doubt his zebra striped boxer-briefs would merit at least a little mocking from the ever-cruel Babcock.

"They won't take long to dry," he said, thinking about how very unfortunate this entire situation was. CC, after all, had a complete wardrobe with her, it seemed, and he was stuck wearing the same clothes constantly.

Now, he had to face complete emasculation at the hands of his greatest foe, and clothes that would soon be rock-solid.

"You're going to start to smell soon," CC said sternly. "And I don't want to be here for that, but since there's no alternative, do you think you could just take the damn things off and wash them? Beat them against a rock or something, just clean them."

Feeling increasingly humiliated, Niles shook his head. "If I take off these clothes, you're going to get one hell of a show," he said solemnly.

"Leave your boxers on," CC replied quickly, obviously not catching on to what he was implying.

"Miss Babcock… I don't wear boxers."

"Oh," she said, looking at him for a moment. "You do wear _something_ surely?"

Niles merely nodded.

It took another minute after that for it to click, and everything to register. "Ohhhh… How very European of you." She couldn't help but look him over, realizing that she had always thought he would be a boxers man. The fact that she had thought about it was disconcerting enough but that she was intrigued by this sudden unexpected visual worried her more.

Niles merely nodded, confirming what she expected. He wasn't sure what was worse: having to have this conversation with CC or having his clothes dry and consequently begin to form a protective mud shell on his body.

CC looked him up and down, as if reviewing the options in her mind. There was merit to his humiliation, but she also thought that having him gallivanting around in next to nothing might also facilitate the already present tension. "I have a robe," she said quietly, and then more assertively she continued. "Yes. You'll wear my robe, and then you'll wash your clothes, and once those are clean, you can wash my robe and give it back to me."

Niles looked at her in horror. "You want me to wear your robe?"

"Why not?"

"For starters, it's a woman's robe. Secondly, and perhaps more of a concern to me, do you not think that will be excellent fodder for mockery? We're talking about a long-term assault on my pride."

CC considered what he said, before replying with a devilish grin. "Well, that seals the deal." Pulling a red silk robe out of her suitcase, she handed it to him carefully. "Be careful not to rip this; you couldn't afford to replace it, and it has some…sentimental value."

Niles groaned, knowing he was about to regret whatever came next.

As he ducked behind a group of trees, the robe seemed to be the type of thing nightmares were made of. He couldn't believe he was about to do this, but it was necessary. With each passing moment his clothes became stiffer, making each movement uncomfortable. He couldn't believe his luck, or the lack there of.

Stripping out of his clothes and tossing them to the ground, careful to remove as much of the chunks of mud from his skin as possible, Niles looked once more at the robe. He really was going to pay much too dear a price for his lack of foresight that morning. There was a fleeting moment he wished he had been killed in the mudslide, at least to save himself that humiliation.

"Are you ready yet? I've got to see this," CC called through the trees, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

The fact that Niles wore 'inappropriate' underwear was entertaining enough, but that he now would be forced to sport one of her robes…this was priceless!

"Hold your horses woman! I've got inches of mud to peel off my body, and this isn't exactly easy."

CC bit back the urge to offer him assistance. She couldn't help it if she wanted to see what had him so embarrassed, could she? She told herself that it was merely a matter of entertainment for her, and it was nothing more than playing with the domestic a bit. Of course, a part of CC couldn't help but wonder if it was more than just wanting to 'play'.

Sitting at the edge of the beach, CC waited for him to reveal himself. If she were the type of person to have a camera, she would have to take a picture of this. What were those ads always saying: "memories to last a lifetime"? These were the moments that one was meant to preserve.

As Niles appeared from the trees, CC bit back the urge to laugh.

The sight of Niles in her robe was hilarious. The red material barely covered his shoulders, and pulled across his stomach. Only the belt of the robe held it closed and it barely covered the bits he was trying to cover.

Had CC been feeling generous, she would have lent him her other robe - the white terry cloth one she had brought for the express purpose of lounging by the pool - but this was a much sweeter revenge.

"Get it over with, Babcock - laugh it off, and when you're done laughing, I'm going to go wash my clothes," he said indignantly. His masculinity was definitely being tested, and this time, she was getting most of the pleasure.

Smiling, she watched as he nervously tugged the material down. "Why would I laugh?" she asked seriously, trying to maintain as grave of an expression as possible. "This is hardly a laughing matter - I don't think Victoria ever intended to keep *that* secret!" Snickering, she stood up and took in the whole view. "You know, if you ever pursue a career as a drag-maid, you could maybe pull it off. Though I'd recommend waxing your legs," she said calmly, pointing to the coarse hair on his legs.

"Ha, ha," Niles replied. "I'm going to wash my clothes, and when I get back, we'll make lunch."

CC merely smiled, watching as he retreated down the beach, his soiled clothes held in front of him. The air of confidence he normally exuded was suddenly absent, instead leaving him with a listless walk.

Maybe it was cruel to send him down the beach like that, but it was only the two of them, and this was for the greater good - he needed clean clothes (desperately!) And he did push her overboard. Clearly that had to be worth something!

"Be careful when you bend over," CC called after him, earning an angry glare from the Butler. "The last thing I'd want is to get a peepshow."

Niles merely walked a few feet further before coming to stop at a rock on the beach where he had sat the day before, watching the water around his feet. At least here he was far enough away from her to do the laundry and not think about what sort of show he would be giving.

He would exact his revenge on CC, though he had no clue how – the woman had a never ending stream of clothes coming from that blasted suitcase, and it didn't look like she was about to run out any time soon.

Niles only hoped that if they were to be rescued, or if something were to happen to him, resulting in death, he wouldn't be wearing that robe.

**

The humiliation from the robe had been enough for Niles, so he decided to escape on a walk – anything to forget the red silk he had to sport to wash his clothes.

Thankfully, while he was lying on the beach, waiting for his clothes to dry, he stretched out on the sand and wrapped the robe around himself, absorbing the sun and thinking about his current situation.

Being trapped with CC on the island wasn't exactly what he would consider the worst of circumstances, but it certainly wasn't the best of circumstances either. Watching her every day, looking amazing, was just a little bit more than he could handle.

When they were at home, the affection he had for her was merely an attraction to an annoying but beautiful blonde. Here, there was a lot less between them – there certainly was no bank account or career. There wasn't even a wall between them anymore, and at night he was acutely aware of her body, just feet away.

Maybe he was losing his mind; maybe this was all a matter of being in such close proximity to each other, but he had never seen her look so beautiful as she did in those mornings when she'd sit under what was now 'her' tree, and read her book.

Sometimes he would feign sleep while he watched her tuck her hair behind her ear, and flip the page. It was the most beautiful of things he could imagine, and being in an island paradise, living so close to her was going to be the death of him.

The walk was only helping him channel these thoughts into exercise, but could not detract from his growling stomach. The constantly pervading thoughts of CC were only interrupted by the thoughts of food – and what they could do if they had some there, in their intimately close environment.

It was too easy to be consumed by her, and god help him, he knew it was a dangerous thing.

There were only two potential outcomes to this scenario. Well, two aside from the more grim thoughts of death.

First, they could return home and everything would remain the same; their lives would go back to the 'norm' and maybe they'd return to the torment they favored. This was probably the safest of the options, because alternatively there was a much crueler reality that could face them.

The alternative he so gravely feared was that they'd return home and maybe maintain a little bit of that friendship they had begun to cultivate on the island. That friendship – that dependency on one another – was too terrifying a thought. What would he say to her on those mornings when she walked through the door looking like the most beautiful woman in the world, wrapped in the finest and sexiest of clothing?

Being friends with this woman seemed impossible. It would test his willpower to the extreme, and induce certain insanity. She was too beautiful for him, she was too good for him, but she was also too incredible of a woman to be near to and not love.

CC Babcock, in her infuriating way, had somehow endeared herself to him so dearly, that Niles wondered if what he was feeling bordered on love.

Impossible, right?

Surely it had to be.

A butler and a socialite were never intended to fall in love, and certainly if an exception ever existed, they weren't it.

It was one thing to coexist under such circumstances, and entirely another to expect it to continue once they returned home.

Pausing, Niles heard something move the trees behind him, and for a moment he thought about the infuriating woman who would surely appear in just a moment.

His heart caught at the thought of her walking after him, looking for him and maybe even worried about him.

Looking around, he was surprised to see nothing there. There was no sign of the statuesque blonde.

"Hello?"

When no reply came, he debated moving nearer to the rustling of leaves. What was the worst-case scenario? If it wasn't CC, it was probably his imagination playing tricks on him. It wouldn't be the first time he thought he'd heard something while on one of these walks.

They always seemed to jar him from the moment, the thoughts that were strangling him. "Hello," he called again, this time hoping for a response.

When the silence became almost deafening, he decided to take his chances and walk toward it.

At first glance there was nothing to be seen – it was merely a noise, he thought. But on closer inspection, there was something, and although not thoroughly impressive, he realized he wasn't alone.

**

When Niles returned to their campsite, he had something large and green in his arms. It looked, for lack of contact lenses, like a turtle, but CC was sure she must have been seeing things.

"Is that dinner?" she asked as he crossed back towards the campfire.

"I thought about it," Niles said. "But the more time I spend with her, the less I feel like cooking her."

CC looked at him, completely confused by what he was saying. "Her?"

"I've named her," he replied simply, only drawing more confusion from CC.

"Dare I ask?"

Placing the turtle down, and stroking his fingers over her back, he watched as CC narrowed her glare at him. "I've named her Babcock – it seemed appropriate."

"You did what? Why the hell did you do that?" Facing mixed emotions, CC wasn't sure if she should be pleased or angry at Niles' decision, though she was sure that he would soon enough give her reason to be angry.

"I was looking for food when I heard the bushes move behind me, and I thought someone was there. I turned around, and there she was, looking up at me," Niles said easily. "And I knelt down to touch her, and she snapped at me."

CC laughed at the visual, and for a moment felt a warmth creep over her face. She wanted to say one thing, but instead she changed the direction of what she was thinking and said another. "Well, I suppose if you tried to touch me, I would react the same."

Niles grinned. "Do you promise?"

Groaning, CC shook her head. "So if this isn't dinner, what is?"

"Is that all you ever think about? We can't eat Babcock – she's our new mascot! If she can survive here, so can we! Besides, she has such an uncanny resemblance to you: beady eyes and that wrinkly neck! How could I resist?"

CC scowled at the last comment. The one thing that terrified her about aging was that damn crinkly neck which was dangerously typical of women in their fifties and sixties. "I do **not** have a wrinkly neck," she said defensively.

Niles realized he hit a sore spot, and instead of pressing it further, he simply shook his head. "You don't – I'm sorry. I was just teasing," he replied, watching her posture relax. Clearly neck jokes were off limits. "But I don't want to eat her– I just thought I'd introduce you to her before I release her back into the woods."

Walking closer, she looked at the turtle in his hands. "She's cute," she commented, reaching forward to stroke the coarse shell.

"She is," he agreed, though his attention was strictly on the human Babcock. Why was it he kept having these blasted feelings for her? Was he losing his mind?

CC seemed oblivious to his attention, and instead watched the turtle. "So, if she's not for dinner, what is?"

"Well, I thought about that too," Niles said, "and I decided we'd have fish…"

Maybe it was the thought of something other than coconuts and berries, or maybe it was the fact that it was a protein – and they hadn't seen any type of meat in ages – but CC was practically salivating at the thought.

"And how do you propose to catch these fish?" she asked, trying not to get her hopes up.

"Well, I borrowed a pair of your nylons, and rigged a contraption between two rocks. I've had no luck for days, but today we got something."

"My nylons?" She was trying not to scream, but did he just imply that he borrowed a pair of her very expensive silk nylons to catch fish?

"Any potential jokes aside about fish and your undergarments, do you want dinner or not? Babcock and I know where we can find a decent sized fish to cook, but only if you want it…"

It had been risky, taking a pair of her stockings from her makeshift laundry line that she'd strung up between trees, but he was sure he wouldn't regret it. Now that his thievery had resulted in something worthwhile, he hoped it was safe to tell her about it.

"Yes – but I fully expect you to buy me a new pair when we get home; I only had the one pair with me."

Niles laughed. "I promise, dinner won't be formal. You can wear what you're wearing now – no need to dress up."

CC groaned, but the prospect of fish was just too much to pass up. "I can't believe you took my nylons without asking," she said finally. "I guess I'll have to hang my laundry somewhere else. God knows what you've been doing with my things."

Shaking his head, he merely walked away from her, and placed the turtle on the ground beside him. "Leave it to her, Babcock, to think the worst. And here I was just trying to get us food."

She debated if she should thank him or strangle him. The nylons had cost more than 50$ and were her favorite pair. It sounded silly, but for whatever reason the expensive silk felt undeniably sexy against her skin. She loved those nylons. On the other hand, for food that wasn't a coconut, she'd probably give just about anything.

Watching as he retreated toward the tree line, CC merely smiled at the way his body moved and how the sun reflected off of his hair giving him an almost angelic look.

Even when he drove her mad, there was something about Niles that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He had a way of being infuriating and incredible all at the same time – not that she'd ever tell him that.

**

There was something about a quiet Babcock that unnerved Niles. CC wasn't meant to sit still, and be silent. He was used to her quick-witted barbs and the comments flying at him from all directions, but this CC – the one who was so absorbed in her own world she barely knew he existed – caught him off guard.

"What are you doing?" Niles asked, watching as she pensively stared at the paper in front of her. Whatever she was working on, CC had been consumed by it for the better part of the last hour.

"I'm making a list," she said simply, never once distracting her from the task at hand.

"A grocery list? Because I really don't think there's a Dean & Deluca nearby that I can go pick up your biscotti from," he replied, watching as she tapped the pen against the paper.

"No, smart ass. A list of things to do before I die… I've had to simplify – it would seem that aspiring to global domination might be a bit out of hand when we're trapped here."

Niles smiled softly. He really did prefer this softer side of her, even if CC was prone to putting up the show of bitchy Broadway producer. "And what's on your list?"

Shrugging, CC turned her paper over, hoping he wouldn't see it. "It's personal," she said softly.

"Come on – there's not much left personal around here. Nine days of waking up to you snoring in my ear, and you think that you should keep a list of silly goals from me?" Reaching quickly, he grabbed the paper and turned it over.

It wasn't what he expected. It was completely blank. "Oh."

Niles thought for a moment, unprepared for what he had seen. Somehow he had expectations of what she would have written; psychologically, before he had even flipped over the paper, he was preparing himself for a round of disagreeing with her.

When there was nothing there, he wasn't sure if he should be thankful or regret ever heading down this path. "So this just means that you've already accomplished everything you want. Must be nice, to feel such a sense of accomplishment with your life. Not that you shouldn't," he said quickly, realizing how critical he must have sounded.

"What? Oh. Yeah." It wasn't even close to what she was thinking, but maybe it was best just to let it slide.

"I would have thought that ensnaring Mr. Sheffield would be number one on your list…"

"I'm trying to keep it attainable. I don't want to die, only to be disappointed with my how my life turned out."

It was the first time he had ever heard her imply that Maxwell Sheffield was unattainable to CC Babcock, and it wasn't nearly as fulfilling as he thought it might be.

Maybe most of the appeal of tormenting her was that she harbored such delusions about a man so clearly in love with someone else, or maybe it was that it was such an easy target. Either way, hearing her give up on him, Niles realized that maybe it wasn't all he wanted to hear.

"Besides. There's something to be said for being trapped on an island, in the middle of nowhere, with a man who drives you crazy," she said, hoping her tone had remained even and casual.

"Oh, don't I know it," he replied quietly. "I hope you didn't think I was rude… just then, when I … I wasn't trying to upset you. I just wanted to see what you'd written."

CC shrugged. "It's ok – if you could have heard my thoughts when I realized I had nothing to write down…"

"But it is good – you've done everything you've wanted to," he said again. "And you've enjoyed incredible success. You're also the most unique packer I've ever met – I've never known anyone who carries a tenth of what you carry in your luggage."

Laughing, CC placed the paper and pen back on the ground, and looked up at him as he crouched in front of her. "You know what's most infuriating about this whole thing?"

"That you'll probably never get to buy the matching carry-on bag?"

Jabbing him in the ribs, CC shook her head. "No, you awful excuse for a man. What's really terrible about all of this, is that I was starting my list, when I realized that of all the ways to spend my days, I kind of… almost, but realize I said almost…enjoy this."

Niles smiled. He had spent his nights hoping that CC felt the same way that he did, and maybe this was hopeless optimism, but, for what was supposed to be a disastrous, and terrible situation, he wasn't minding the circumstances all that much.

In fact, if he could change anything, it would only be that he'd have a few more changes of clothes. "I'm enjoying it too," he said tenderly. "To think, we'd enjoy this together."

"Unbelievable, isn't it?"

Niles shook his head. "Not so unbelievable. We've had some good times before, and we've enjoyed each other's company numerous times. This time we just don't have anyone to put on a show for…"

"Maybe." She had spent so much time thinking about what would happen if they got home, and it felt like there was this great question mark dangling over her head. "I've been thinking about my options," CC said quietly. "When...If we get back to New York, I could go back to the boring old life we used to have," she admitted.

"Now I'm offended," Niles said, his face in a trademark scowl. "Boring? I thought we entertained each other?"

"You know what I mean. Boring. Alone. I could go back to that, and maybe keep trying my chances at Maxwell, or I could change something."

"What's so wrong with being alone? I mean, you have everyone at the house, and then Chester at home. And Angelica. It's not like you're alone, alone."

"But I'm lonely," she confessed, feeling for the first time it was ok to make these admissions. "I used to think that I was destined to be with Maxwell, and have a life with him, but after... all this time here, I just don't know that I feel that way anymore. I can't help but think that of all the things I want, I want to be less lonely. I want to feel like at the end of the day, there's someone who wants to share things with me, and to let me share things. Does that sound foolish?"

Niles shook his head. He knew exactly what she meant; he had been feeling that way for years, though he'd never been brave enough to admit it. "I do know what you mean, and it doesn't sound foolish at all. Sometimes being able to be with someone and know they want to hear how you're doing - how you're really doing - is all you want."

"Niles..." CC said seriously, watching his face for any sign of softening. "Chester doesn't care how I'm really doing."

Niles nodded, thinking about what this could mean for him, for her. For them - if there was a them. "I do," he admitted. "But shhh, don't tell anyone."

CC laughed at his comment, and at the sudden break in tension. "Do you think that means that maybe we could care about how we're doing together?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Niles realized that this was just their way of finally breaking the ice. "I think we already do - I've been worried about you while we've been here. Have you been worried about me?"

CC spent a moment looking pensively at the horizon, feigning concentration. She knew the answer. Looking back at him, she nodded. "I suppose I've been concerned. A few times. Like when you went flying down that hill on your head. I thought you really had it there," she replied. There was no reason to tell him just how terrified she had been.

Smiling, he appreciated the confession - maybe there was hope for them, even if it meant that they had to be stuck on an island, somewhere as far from their real lives as any point could ever be, and maybe things were finally looking up.

Sitting there pensively, CC debated her next move. She desperately wanted him to do something; **anything** but it seemed highly unlikely. Taking her pen in her hand again, she decided to be decisive and just do it – it seemed like something she'd have to do or regret it forever.

This wasn't the same man who taunted and teased her all the time. This, she suspected, was the real Niles, and she liked what she saw. Maybe it was completely impractical, but it didn't feel the same as it had in Manhattan.

In a moment of decisiveness she quickly scribbled something on the page and folded it in half, offering it to him. There was no going back now. "Here, I changed my mind. There's **one** thing I still want."

"Oh?" Hoping that he would like the turn of direction, Niles simply accepted the page. "One thing? Just one? How very simplified," he said, watching her from the corner of his eye. If he didn't know better, he'd think that she was nervous. Opening it, he smiled. "To be kissed by a domestic?"

Shrugging, CC tried to maintain her composure. "I told you, global domination aside, I have to keep it local. Can't dream big, lest I be disappointed."

Niles bit back a comment about not needing to dream big. After all, maybe it was pushing his luck to assume this was anything more than the playfulness that they had always toyed with. "I'm sure we could accommodate this – I'd hate for you to be disappointed with your choices. Though, you know, it's not a very thorough list if you only have one thing on it."

"Well, maybe once I accomplish this, maybe I'll decide I want to add to more to it," she teased. This was definitely going well.

"Hmm… well, let's see. Will I do?"

Looking him up and down, she felt the urge to pounce on him. "I suppose. I generally prefer men who wearing clean clothes and expensive aftershave, but for lack of alternative options, you'll do."

Feigning hurt, Niles shifted away. "Well, I usually prefer women, but if you're willing to lower your standards, I suppose I can be equally flexible."

CC laughed. "Oh, I'm not sure of that – I think you'd be pleasantly surprised by how 'flexible' I can be."

Shaking his head, Niles resisted giving in to that image. "Are we going to talk this to death, and kill me while we're at it, or are we going to kiss?"

"Romantic – I look forward to these smooth moves of yours."

"Woman, you ain't seen nothin' yet," he said, moving closer to her, and in the process pushing her back into the sand.

"At least you admit I'm a woman!" In her mind, there was no doubt of where this was going and perhaps somewhat unexpectedly, she was welcoming this change with open arms. Quite literally.

Instead of giving her the pleasure of a response, he decided a different kind of pleasure was in order. Leaning down against her, he quickly moved in and pressed his lips against hers, pressing his body closer to hers.

CC parted her lips and allowed him access to plunder her mouth. The pressure of his body against her was enough to make her want more. How he did that, she would never understand, but she was certain she'd never push him away again.

"Do you have your list handy?" Niles asked as his lips parted from hers. His face was merely inches from hers, and his body was still supported over hers.

"What?" she replied breathlessly.

"Do you have your list handy? The whole point of this endeavor was to cross it off your list, right?" Niles was barely able to keep a straight face.

The fact that they had made it this far already was like a twisted dream come true, but that they were very nearly at the point of making love seemed completely out of the realm of possibility. Except clearly it was possible, because there she was, lying beneath him.

Digging around beside her, CC managed to find the pen, and the paper. "Would you like to cross it off? I seem to have my hands full," she said, gesturing to where she placed her hands to rest on his waistband.

Resting his weight on one arm meant that his body lowered to be closer to hers, and in the process gave CC an indication just how willing of a participant he was.

Niles used the pen to messily scribble off the note. "I'd like to make one of my own," he said, doing his best to balance and write at the same time. Holding the note up for her to read, CC grinned.

"Ohh, Niles!" Moving her lips closer to hers, she seized his lips in a feverish kiss. "I think I'm going to learn to like this list thing," she said as she teased him.

His arms wrapped around her and managed to roll them over, and suddenly her body was flush to his, and her arms were stroking against his chest.

For a moment the passion became too much, too soon, and she stopped to catch her breath. Resting her head against his chest, she listened to his heartbeat and felt completely happy for the first time she could remember.

"I could get used to this," Niles said, his hands moving along the length of her body, and up and down her back. CC was soft curves and beautiful lines and so much more than he ever thought she could be with him.

"So could I," she agreed. "But there's more we could get used to."

Niles didn't need to be told twice. Sliding his hands under the material that gathered at her waist, he eased her shirt up and over her head, revealing her soft pale flesh and beautiful curves. "God, you're going to kill me, aren't you?"

CC merely grinned wickedly. "Isn't this the way you'd want to go? With a much younger woman?"

Niles groaned. He wasn't about to deny that if he were to die in that instant, he would be almost completely happy. "I suppose there are worse ways to die," he agreed, earning a rather perilously placed knee. "You break it, you buy it," he warned.

Instead of replying, she began to work the buttons open on his polo shirt. In a moment she would think of a deserving punishment, but for now all she wanted to think about was him, and divesting him of his clothing.

When he leaned forward to kiss her breathless, CC felt as if the world had fallen out from below her. Never in her life had she experienced a kiss with such promise or such passion. Sure, the kiss they had in the Sheffield living room had been intense, but even that didn't parallel this.

As their lips parted, CC saw something from the corner of her eye. At first she thought it was merely the edge of the grass beside them, but a moment later she realized what it was.

Niles' lips worked their way over her chest, licking and sucking the tender flesh he found there. She was the most delectable woman he had ever met.

"You are so beautiful," he said, before delving back against her flesh.

That was when he was caught completely off guard by her hands pressing against his chest. "I can't," CC said breathlessly. He looked at her wounded, and for a moment he wondered if this was all a part of the complicated CC Babcock that on occasion he loved to hate.

"You must be kidding?"

"The turtle is watching us," she said, her voice low as if not to alert Babcock to the sentiment. God forbid she insults the turtle.

Niles laughed, thinking about a thousand different jibes he could make, but it was most definitely not the time. "She won't care what we do - don't be silly!"

"I care," CC replied, looking at the beady-eyed reptile only feet away. "She's staring, Niles. Seriously. Either you turn her around and give us some privacy, we go somewhere else, or this goes on hold."

Niles knew that it wasn't merely a threat - clearly the turtle would be a problem. "OK, Babcock," he said, to the turtle. "You've got her all freaked out, and you've got to turn around now - eat some grass or something."

"You can't just turn her around – she has ears!"

"Does she?"

CC shook her head. "What the hell do I look like? A reptile expert? Then again, I am dallying with a dinosaur… but no! I don't know. The point is… I can't," CC said.

"You're kidding me. You are, right? You must be joking." He wasn't sure if it was his male pride that hurt the most, or the fact that he had been quite literally ready to throw caution to the wind and make love to her on the beach when a turtle distracted her attention. Something about this scenario felt both awkward and borderline insulting.

"I'm not joking. There are some things not meant to be done in the presence of reptiles," CC defended.

Niles debated their options, and for a minute he considered returning Babcock to the forest. But she had been such a good turtle – a great companion, if not a bit strange. Maybe having a turtle for a pet was unusual, but so was their circumstance. "I know of a great little place further inland – lush greenery and a pretty little stream?"

CC nodded, before she stood up and picked up her shirt, to wear en route to their destination. Niles was having slightly more difficulty standing.

"You do understand, don't you?" CC asked, worried that maybe he misinterpreted her concern.

Niles nodded. "I do. I'm just going to need a few minutes before we undertake any hikes," he assured her.

CC smiled, and merely flashed a bit more skin. "I'll make it worth your while. I promise."

That thought alone meant it would be even longer before he managed to make it to his feet.

**

Finding their way back to the shoreline, and back to their makeshift shelter, Niles and CC reveled in the new closeness they were feeling.

Night had fallen around them sometime during their adventure inland, and as they reached the point that they called home, exhaustion was carrying them very near to sleep. Emotionally and physically, it had been a very exhausting day.

When they lay down, CC curled against Niles and rested her forehead against his chin. This was the most perfect way to fall asleep, and she was certain she never again wanted to experience the loneliness she had known for all of her life up until that moment.

"I don't suppose that you have a camera in that crazy bag of yours, do you?" Niles asked, his arms firmly wrapped around CC. It felt like the most perfect moment he had ever experienced, and the skeptic in him couldn't help but wonder if it would somehow be his last.

"A camera?" CC asked, turning her attention to him. She had been so wrapped up in, well, being wrapped up in his arms, that she couldn't figure out where this was going.

"Yeah, you know, those things that take pictures? Kodak moments, and whatever?" Holding her body against his, Niles wondered if they'd ever get rescued, or if this was how they were destined to live out their days. With each passing moment, the thought of living their lives there, together, was growing more and more appealing, but a part of him still wanted to go home.

"I don't even own a camera," she replied, enjoying the feeling of his coarse chest hair against her cheek. The thudding of his heart beneath his skin made her feel indescribably close to him, but not just physically. This was all such a new experience that she didn't know what to make of it all. "Why would you even want one?"

"I want to remember this moment, well beyond the capabilities of my flawed memory, and to remember how beautiful you look at this very moment."

Even in the pale moonlight, he could see her blushing.

"Pictures are such a waste," she said. "Why do something so very trivial, when you could just live in the moment?" Pushing closer against him, she stroked her finger over his stomach and traveled perilously close to the button of his pants.

"Because pictures are not a waste – if you could see yourself the way I'm seeing you right now, you'd understand why I never want to let go of this moment. And as for living in the moment, I'm here. You're here. How much more in the moment can we get?" Niles realized what he had just opened the door for. "Don't even think about saying it."

CC grinned at the implication. "Well, just remember that I offered to give you something to remember, and you chose not to."

Niles groaned. "Leave you to twist my words. I never refused your offer as much as said you shouldn't 'say' it. But I do wish we had a camera. First thing, when we get back, I'm going to take you shopping for one, and we're going to take so many pictures I'll probably drive you mad."

Laughing, CC couldn't help but think it was nice someone **wanted** pictures of her. "Well, this has to go both ways. I want pictures of you too."

Nodding, Niles kissed the top of her head. "Of course you'll have pictures too. I can't imagine not getting some for the both of us. And some of us together, like this."

CC poked him firmly with her finger against his rib. "You old pervert! You want pictures of us in bed?"

"No, I want videos of us in bed." CC laughed at his words. "I want pictures of us holding each other. I never thought I'd want a camera as badly as I do this moment."

"Well, then we'll get one when we get home," CC said seriously. "And we'll take all the pictures you want." Snuggling against him, she knew that if there was something she could do to make him happy, she would do it, and the realization was shocking. She never thought that she could feel so completely absorbed by another person that she'd want to give them that much access to her, and her life, but perhaps a few weeks in the wild was what it took to domesticate CC Babcock.

"What will happen when we get home? If… Whatever the case may be." Niles was hesitant to ask, for fear of what she might say. He enjoyed the comfort of them being together, but he was terrified of what could happen if they were rescued. Would everything revert to the way it had been before?

"What do you mean?" She didn't know why she asked. CC knew what he meant; she was sure that he was harboring the same fears as she was. It hadn't been easy for them to get past their initial reservations, and that was when they were alone. How would they feel when there were other people involved?

"I mean, what will happen to us when we're rescued. When they pick us up, will you still want to be with me, or will we go back to the way things were?"

Thinking about his words, she debated with herself internally. Being with a butler would definitely complicate matters in her life – probably as much as being with a wealthy Broadway Producer would complicate his. But, complication or not, she couldn't deny the absolute happiness that she felt being with him, and hopefully the feelings she gave him.

"It could go two ways," she began. "I suppose we could call this a fling and go back to life as it was before – if that's what we both want." She could feel Niles body flinch as she spoke, and derived some comfort from knowing the mere idea bothered him as much as it bothered her.

"Is the second option any better?"

"I think so…I think we go back and make sure that everyone knows that we're together, and we don't let anyone try and talk us out of it. After all, we've been ok here, right?"

"I'd say we've been better than ok," Niles replied. "I'd say I've never been happier to be with one person, than I have been to be with you."

Smiling, CC knew that they'd already chosen option b. "So, then we're settled. More importantly, if we ever make it back to the big city, do you think you'd consider maybe cutting back on your hours at the house so we can spend some evenings together?"

Niles thought about it for a moment. "Do you really want to spend more time with me?"

Pretending to think about it, CC shrugged. "Maybe you're right – more time with you or the evenings off to go out and troll for a more suitable…troll?"

Niles laughed. "Ok, more evenings off. I'm sure I can handle that."

"I thought you'd see it my way," CC agreed. "And we'll talk to Maxwell about living arrangements. The last thing I want is to sneak up the back stairwell at night."

"And here I thought after all these years you'd be the expert on sneaking…" His comment earned him an elbow in the ribs. "Maybe I'll get a place of my own – somewhere we can sneak away to?"

Pouting, CC stuck out her lower lip and shrugged. "We kind of already have a place we can sneak away to…"

Niles grinned, loving the tender, teasing side of her. "I just want to bite your lip when you stick it out like that," he teased. "You don't mind my double bed in the mansion?"

"I don't mind my king-sized bed in my penthouse apartment – and I think you could even learn to like it. Hot tub of our own, someone to do the cleaning for us… Do you think you might be able to adapt?"

"Oh, I don't know," Niles said, squeezing her closer to him. "I suppose I could try to adapt. If you're willing to make sacrifices like allowing a lowly butler into your heart."

"I'd say you've gotten a little further than my heart – but there too," she teased.

Shaking his head, he thought about it for a moment. "We're going to get home – and we're going to get a camera, and then we're going out to dinner somewhere fabulous. And never eating mangos or coconuts again."

CC sighed in agreement and snuggled closer. She loved being with Niles like this. Maybe of all the years she was lonely, she was really just waiting for him. "We've got a lot of reasons to get home," she said quietly.

"No matter what happens, though, as long as we're together, I'm happy wherever we are."

"You're a total sap," she laughed. "But me too."

**

"You've lost weight," Niles said, watching as CC put on her bathing suit.

"Well, now two good things have come of being stranded on this island," she said with a smile. "First you and I get our acts together, and then I lose those unsightly pounds… What more could I hope for?"

Niles groaned. "Woman… you didn't have the weight to lose!" Standing up, and taking her hands in his, he wished he had never made those fat jokes. Clearly she had taken them to heart, and he had never intended for them to be anything more than joking.

"You're the one who always says I could stand to lose a few pounds. And I have gained quite a bit of weight since I came to work for Maxwell all those years ago." Looking down, she appreciated the way his hands reached around her and pulled her hips against his.

"I should be stood up in front of the firing squad and shot for those comments. I never thought you'd take me seriously! It was just something I could say that would get to you." Shaking his head, he tried to compile his thoughts in such a way as to make sure she understood what he was trying to say. "As for you having gained weight since you came to the Sheffield house, of course you did! You were virtually a child then; you were all skin and bones. But now you're a woman, and women are supposed to be curvy, and soft, and sexy."

CC wasn't sure how to reply. She had always been insecure about her weight, and to hear Niles say that he found her 'curves' sexy was unexpected. "You don't think I'd look better if I were closer to Nanny Fine's weight?"

"CC, you could never be her weight… she's a totally different build than you. And even if you could be, you'd topple over from the weight of your breasts. You were the perfect size, and you have the perfect curves – and I'll tell you every day until you believe me."

Somehow the fact that Niles seemed more inclined to her figure than to Fran's was a comfort to CC. "It might take a bit of time," she said quietly. "And if we're here much longer you might need to just get used to the new me."

Niles grinned. "Well, if we're here much longer, we'll both fade away to a shadow of our former selves, though in my case that really will be a good thing. And when we get home, I'll just make sure to serve you an extra helping of dessert at dinner. Besides, I fully intend to help you burn off plenty of calories at night; we'll just have to feed you twice as much through the day."

Laughing, CC couldn't help but smile. "So, you think I'm getting too thin?" She ran her hand down and over her stomach, feeling still insecure about her weight. "I've probably only lost five or ten pounds."

Her stomach was slightly more concave than it had been when they got there, and CC couldn't help but think he'd enjoy that more. Wasn't that the way women were supposed to be?

Wasn't the ideal woman supposed to have a concave stomach, a pronounced collarbone, toned arms and lean legs?

For years she had been told by the men she dated that she needed to watch what she ate, and exercise more, or that she had been perfect the way she was – when she was much younger. Maybe it was years of listening to all the wrong men, but the idea that he could love her for what she was seemed impossible.

"I'll love you no matter what you weigh – if you weigh 128 pounds, or 228 pounds, I could never love you less. What matters to me is that you're healthy, and that you're happy with yourself. I just want you to know that I prefer you when you're your usual curvy self," he said honestly. There was a glimmer in his eyes that made CC believe him, even if it didn't feel like it could be the truth.

"Well, do you want to come for a swim with the slightly-less-curvy version of me?"

Nodding, he thought about how happy he was, even though there were facing a ridiculously impossible situation. "Sure. And then when we're finished swimming, I say we eat."

"Sounds like a good plan," CC said, taking his hand and dragging him toward the water.

Niles undid his pants as they approached the water. "I'm warning you now, I don't know how I'm going to keep my hands off of you…"

CC laughed. "Who said you had to?"

**

They didn't know how long they had been on the island, and somehow as each day passed, the thoughts of rescue consumed less and less of their time. There was a natural flow to their lives, and ever since they came to terms with their love for each other, Niles and CC were able to enjoy their circumstances.

That's why, when she heard something completely unfamiliar to her, CC thought she was dreaming. The sound of a helicopter invaded her sleep, and she realized for a moment that maybe she wasn't asleep. "Niles?"

Grumbling, Niles just held her closer to him.

"Niles? Do you hear that? Is that a helicopter?" Prying herself from his arms, CC stood up. "Niles, someone's here!"

"What?"

"I hear a helicopter! Come on!"

Niles and CC went racing toward the beach. "Do you think this means we're rescued?"

"If we haven't missed them," Niles said, unsure if he wanted to be rescued. This was his perfect version of life, even if it was entirely unlikely.

As they approached the beach, they saw the helicopter, landed not far from where they had first washed up.

"Niles?" a voice called.

"Mr. Sheffield!" Racing towards the dark-haired man, Niles and CC almost lost their footing. "Maxwell!"

"Oh my God! I never thought we'd actually find you!" Maxwell said, taking his butler tightly into an embrace. "I thought you and CC might have finally killed each other," Max said, looking at his friends. "If it weren't for your fire, we would never have found you!"

CC and Niles grinned at each other. "We weren't sure we'd ever be found," CC said. "We have a few things to grab, if you don't mind, and then we're ready to leave…"

Maxwell smiled at the pair, noticing that something was different between his friends. "Take your time. The most important thing is that we've found you!"

CC gave Maxwell a hug, and then took Niles' hand. "Come on, we've got to grab our things," she said, nearly dragging him behind her. "I'll get my luggage, and you grab Babcock."

"We're taking her with us?"

"Of course! She's our mascot, remember?"

Niles laughed. "Yes, of course. We should probably put the fire out too…"

As they made it back to their makeshift camp, CC smiled. "We're going home today."

"We are," Niles agreed, unsure of how he felt about that idea. Each passing day made him feel more like this island had somehow become their home. If it were possible to be contented with nothing at all, this island felt like the embodiment of simplicity.

CC could sense his nervousness. "This doesn't change anything for me, but tell me now if it changes anything for you – I'm not going to be the only one in this. It's either we're in this together, or we're not."

Niles nodded. "I couldn't give you up. Now, or ever. I was just thinking about how much I'll almost miss this," he said truthfully.

Smiling, CC kissed him briefly but passionately. "I'll miss it too. But we're going home and it's only going to get better," she promised. "Ok, get the turtle. It's time to get out of here," she said with a laugh, before racing toward her suitcase.

**

CC watched as Niles loaded her suitcase into the helicopter and handed Babcock to Maxwell. God, she loved that man!

Niles turned back and reached toward her. "Let's go home," he said simply, as easily as breathing.

Smiling, CC accepted his hand. They were going home together, and he was holding up his part of the deal – he wasn't shying away from her now that they were leaving the island. "I can't wait to introduce Chester to Babcock."

Niles laughed as he helped her up into the helicopter. "Never mind Chester – what do you think Miss Fine will think of her?" Sliding into the seat beside her, he smiled, and decided that they should get the camera before they introduce the two pets.

"I can't believe we finally found you – we've been looking for weeks!" Maxwell was so excited that he propelled himself across to hug them both again. "CC, you look amazing!"

"Only CC would fall overboard and take her luggage with her. But we do need to find some food soon – she's not eaten properly since we got here," Niles said protectively.

"We've eaten fine," she countered. "Just not gourmet food, but I'm sure you'll fix that once we get home."

"Well, we were starting to think we'd never find you. They called off the search party weeks ago – but I couldn't give up on you." Maxwell couldn't believe his eyes. Clearly they had taken care of each other and come out of it with a new understanding of each other. "You're going to have to explain to us how you two fell overboard."

CC and Niles shared a knowing smile. "Maybe later. For now I'm more worried about my little Chester. Who's been taking care of him?" CC asked, worried about the fluffy Pomeranian that drove her mad.

"Miss Fine brought him from the kennel as soon as we got back to Manhattan, and he's stayed with us ever since," Maxwell assured her. "I think he's missed you; he tried to bite Miss Fine."

CC smiled. "I can't wait to see him. I was starting to think I might never see him again."

"Who's been taking care of the house?" Niles asked, dreading the destruction that they could have done in the weeks he was gone.

"Well, Miss Fine and Sylvia have been taking care of things as much as they could. I've been down here looking for you both."

"Oh, God," Niles gasped. "Sir, can you drop me off back on the island?"

Laughing, CC shook her head. "Oh, no you don't. We're going home, eating a meal, and going to bed. I miss my duvet and pillows!"

"But the house will be in shambles," Niles protested teasingly.

"And we'll be at my penthouse. See how well that works out?"

Max wasn't entirely sure what to make of all this. It was a pleasant surprise to see that they had reconciled, but he had never anticipated that they would have come to quite these terms. "We've already radioed back to the mainland. They've got rooms ready for us, and doctors. We'll have you both checked out, and if all is well then tomorrow we'll fly home."

Niles couldn't believe it was really happening. They were going home! It felt like such a dream on the island, and now that they were actually returning to 'real life' it was somewhat of a relief.

Life on the island wasn't normal; it wasn't how their lives were meant to be – it was merely fate's way of throwing them together, and making them move past all their drama through the years.

Reality was New York City and all those things in the city that they loved, and hated, and that they would now have to face a different type of wilderness. At least they were together – somehow that made any new adventures seem completely palpable.

**

"Good morning," Niles said, kissing her temple. "How'd you sleep?" It felt so odd to be in a bed, and together, but he was certain he could get used to it.

"Mmm," she mumbled. "It was ok. I like being in your arms and on a bed," CC admitted. "But somehow I miss the sound of the water against the beach."

Niles knew what she meant. "I miss the way you'd wake up and go for a swim. And the way you'd look when you stretched out on your robe to dry off."

"It was a pretty good time, hmm? We made the most of what could have been an impossible situation." Stretching her body against his, she moved his hands against her stomach, and held him close. "You know what could be very good though? We now have access to running water and a Jacuzzi tub." The grin on her face told him she had more in mind than just a bath. "We could make the most of our last few hours away from home."

"You've got to go back to the clinic and get those vitamin shots the doctor prescribed, and we've got to get you food. When do we schedule all that in?"

Grinning, CC couldn't help but swoon at how he was taking care of her already. "I suppose I'll let you take me after you keep me company in the bath. I don't think you should let me go alone; I feel awful weak."

Niles shook his head at her scheming. "You know I can't deny you anything, right?"

CC nodded in reply, pressing her body back against him enticingly. "Well, tell me you don't want to join me…" She already knew his answer.

"We both know that I want to join you – I'm just trying to be reasonable here. I need you in top form when we get home. We have a lot to do."

"Like find a terrarium for Babcock? And we need to get a camera… Oh, and we need to buy you things to leave at the Penthouse as well. There will probably be a fair bit of shopping," she said, feeling his face crinkle against her neck. "Maybe if you're really good, we'll buy you a special treat."

His resistance suddenly turned into what could only be considered as enthusiasm, as his hands wandered. "Can we buy a bow to wrap around you?"

The giggle that escaped her lips was completely unexpected, and caught her by surprise. Feeling so naturally happy was foreign to CC but suddenly she wanted nothing more than this man, and whatever would make him happy. "We can buy whatever you want – I'm sure Victoria has a secret or two you might enjoy…"

Without hesitation Niles took a firm hold of her around her waist, and rolled them both out of bed, barely managing to pull them both to their feet. "Less talk, more action. You can't say the words 'Victoria's Secret' without expecting me to ravish you."

Smiling, she took his hand and led him toward the bathroom. "Oh, I fully intend for you to ravish me!"

**

Resting his feet against the coffee table, Niles collapsed back into the sofa and wrapped his arms around CC. "I can't believe they held Babcock at the border - I thought we'd never get her back here with us."

CC laughed, curling in next to him. "Him, you mean, right?"

Niles couldn't help but laugh. That was perhaps the greatest surprise of the day, aside from the way they felt when they separated from each other on the plane. CC took care of that soon enough, though, as she begged the man beside Niles to trade her seats – blue eyes and batting eyelashes enticed the man to channel his more generous spirit, and trade her.

But the greater surprise was by far the news of Babcock's true gender. The customs agent, who apparently was a bit of an aspiring herpetologist, admired the turtle for several moments, before turning to Niles. "This is a nice specimen. He's still pretty young – if you take care of him, he'll probably outlive you."

Niles and CC looked at each other as the young man told them all about the turtle, and what would best help 'him' flourish. They had exchanged small smiles at the knowledge that they had been quite so far off the mark, and listened attentively, already thinking of ways to accommodate the new member of their lives.

"Right, him. I'm glad he's the only Babcock who surprised me in that regard," Niles teased.

"I'd like to think I've surprised you in other ways," she replied, her lips moving perilously close to his ear.

"Oh, to say the least," he assured her. "Do you think that we would have ever gotten our acts together if we hadn't fallen overboard?"

"Fallen?" CC asked, skeptically.

"Well, for lack of a better description of the events," he said, hoping she wouldn't correct him. "I would have died if anything happened to you."

CC looked at him, perplexed by the statement. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, if something had happened to you when you fell overboard, I wouldn't have been able to cope – I know this sounds silly, but … I loved you before the island." His fingers caressed her cheek, as his eyes looked over her flawless face. "I didn't know how to deal with my feelings, and I think that night when I pushed you away, I just didn't know what else to do. It was fight or flight…"

"God, I'm glad you didn't hate me," she said teasingly, watching as his lips neared hers. "I can't imagine what you would do to me if you did…"

"I could never, ever hate you," he whispered, mesmerized by the events and the love he felt for her.

CC smiled at him tenderly, and then moved in closer, trying to be as close to him as she could without touching Niles. "I love you, you silly excuse for a butler – whether you tried to kill me or not."

Shaking his head, Niles tried not to let her bait him. "We're home now, and I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making it up to you. I don't ever want to put you in harm's way again."

"There's nothing to make up to me," she assured him. "But if you want to show me how much you love me, I can't think of any objections."

Niles grinned mischievously. "You drive a hard bargain, but I think I can fulfill your request."

Taking her hand, he led her towards the bedroom. Maybe it all started out as a disaster, but somehow they had managed to salvage it, and turn their time into their very own island paradise.

"Oh, I don't doubt you will," CC said, following him. "What do you say you find that bag from the store earlier, and maybe we'll let you unwrap one of your gifts?'

Niles didn't need to be told twice. "Let's go. I feel the need to admire something red and lacey."

Laughing, they raced to the bedroom. She couldn't deny that she much preferred this Niles, to the one who left Manhattan with them. "I'm not sure how I feel about you wearing something red and lacey," she teased, looking forward to a lifetime with this man.

"I'm not sure how I feel about it either… but I'll do anything you want," he promised. "Now… where's that bag?"

As he dove around the room, looking for the afternoon's purchases, CC collapsed onto the bed and thought about how perfect this was. "Let me know when you've found something more comfortable to wear," she said. Reaching over to the bedside table, she grabbed the camera they bought on their shopping excursion, and got ready to get a picture of him.

Suddenly she could see the appeal of remembering every moment of their lives together.

"I found it," Niles said triumphantly.

"Oh? Well, are you putting on the red number, or the blue one?"

As he held up the scraps of material, CC smiled, catching him midair, and snapping a picture. "This was a good idea," she said, looking at the small digital screen.

"Woman," he said, tackling her on the bed. "Well save the lace for later." Wrestling the camera out of her hands, he seized her mouth in a passionate kiss.

"We're home," she said.

"We are," he agreed. "I'm home."


End file.
